How I Knew I Wanted a Career in Animation

Weather Forecasting…Storm Chasing…Weather Conferences…it's the part of me that has always been a defining part of my life. I consider myself both blessed and lucky to be able to say that since I was about 8 years old, weather was not only a hobby, but a constant career objective, even to this day.

2 years ago one day at 3 in the morning, I looked around my room, and observed all of my weather posters and pictures on each of my walls, and I also stood there and observed my posters of different animated programs. At such a time in my life, I knew that in order to continue my success in the field of broadcast and all forms of media, I had to become as versatile as possible, and I knew that I had my whole life ahead of me. To do just weather and nothing else as a career seemed to be both dull and boring. I then thought to myself early in the morning, "you know, I have been doing weather for more than a decade now, and I love doing it…it's a major part of me and my life, and a God given talent....!" I continued with my personal thoughts

"But what if you considered also doing….oh I don't know….Animation!?"

I then thought to myself what a crazy idea…I have been doing personal study on weather and buying books and collecting weather stuff for so long, I was in too deep. I prayed about it, and prayed about it, and continued to play with the idea, and I then knew, that I was experiencing a real - life calling into doing work in making cartoons. I was so excited, and I didn't know where such a realization of my calling would take me, but I knew that it was going to be an interesting next couple of months into a year. It was then, I decided to take a well - earned break from my homemade weather center, and try something a tad different.

As time moved on I started to get involved by way of researching what types of jobs are available in animation, and what schools were available in animation. I also E-Mailed and met up with one of the professors who worked near my broadcast department, and asked him as many questions as I can about the classes I could take in animation and what were some of the things I needed to do to get involved in the field.

I knew that I watched enough cartoons to know a little about animation to the point of analyzing a program and understanding camera angles and scripts. I decided to capitalize on that and purchased a book on "How to Write for Animation" by Jeffrey Scott. I than decided to buy and collect more books on drawing and writing for animation, and every chance I get, I walked into our Mac lab at my college and played with Macromedia Flash and worked to also become proficient in Photoshop. I became successful!! Along with working with both Flash and Photoshop, I had the great privilege to work with the video editing programs Final Cut Pro HD and Avid, and my ability in filming and writing was also put to the test, making my experiences even more valuable.

Later in the months, I started to also feel a calling in using animation as a form of ministry, helping adults understand what's going on in media and what programs, especially animated programs, to keep an eye on especially if they have children or siblings themselves. It got to the point to where I started writing books and small articles for commentary on what to watch out for. And my experience in interviewing animators like Joe Murray of Cartoon Network's Original Series "Camp Lazlo" and Craig McCracken's "The Powerpuff Girls" really helped! By interviewing and talking with professional animators, and even students, I have been able to get the inside scoop on what is going on in the industry. One of the reasons that animation started to become a compelling career to me along with weather to begin with is because of the fast growth and demand for animated programs. However, I am careful to say that it's a "gold-mine" of a job. Like many jobs, animation is not a career you get into just to "get rich quick."

Of course along with ministry, I'm also working on a cartoon idea right now, which is working out quite well. So far, I'm trying to build up the first episode script, and the characters and story ideas…a task that is just as exciting as tracking storms and preparing the next weather alert! Obviously everyone else's experience will not be the same as mine if one is truly interested in getting into animation. Compiled are some of the suggestions that were given to me in preparation for a future in animation:

1. Draw, Draw, and Draw some more! The more you draw, the more you improve, and so on. Try to find your own style also. You may even stumble right into your own style.

2. Don't worry about you suddenly changing your career…some people have switched out of jobs having absolutely nothing to do with cartoons, and now they are involved in animation in some form or fashion.

3. If you don't watch a lot of cartoons now…start watching, whether its 2-D, 3-D, watch a bunch of different cartoons. If some of the shows on Cartoon Network or in the movie theaters are your thing…go for it. If you want to see what is going on in the Animation Industry, watching what is being broadcasted and being created helps a whole lot!

4. Reading magazines, whether on your shelf or on the internet about what's going on in the animation field is also recommended!

Good Luck...Now get out there and start making cartoons!!